Baby Corn Pepper Fry

Blogging Marathon# 47: Week 1/ Day 2

Theme: North Indian Starters

Dish: Baby Corn Pepper Fry

For Day 2 of this week's blogging marathon, I made an Indo-Chinese favorite. Even though I stay away from deep frying, I couldn't stop myself from frying these yummy baby corn pakoras/ fritters. I had this appetizer way back when in India and have been thinking about it ever since, finally got a chance to try it at home now.

I am not 100% sure if this Indo-Chinese dish is really a North Indian starter, but since it is Indo-Chinese and China is in the north of India, I decided to run with it :-)

I followed Vah Chef's recipe and the dish turned out great. I had a can of cut baby corn in the pantry that I used here, but fresh baby corns that are briefly blanched can also be used. Double frying the fritters makes them really crisp and crunchy. It is very important to add the fritters right before serving to keep them crisp and not turn soggy.

Ingredients:

For the Baby Corn Pakoras/ Fritters:
Baby Corn - 1 15oz. can, rinsed and drained and chopped into 2" pieces (or use 8~10 fresh baby corns that are blanched)

All purpose flour - 3tbsp

Corn Starch - 2tbsp

Ginger-garlic paste - 1tsp

Red Chili powder - 1tsp

Salt & Pepper - to taste

For the Pepper Fry:

Green Pepper - 1 medium, chopped into 1" pieces

Red Pepper - 1 medium, chopped into 1" pieces

Yellow Pepper - 1 medium, chopped into 1" pieces 

Scallions/ Green onions - 5~6, chopped
Ginger - 1" piece, grated
Garlic - 2~3 cloves, minced
Green Chilies - 1~2, finely chopped (optional)
Tomato Ketchup - 2tbsp

Low sodium Soy sauce - 1tbsp

Green Chili sauce - 1tsp (add more if you like spicy food)

Rice Vinegar (or any other mild vinegar) - 1tsp

Salt & Pepper - to taste

Method:

• Make the Baby Corn Fritters/ Pakoras: In a mixing bowl, combine flour, corn starch, ginger+garlic paste, red chili powder, salt and pepper. Add enough water to make a thick batter. Add the baby corn and toss around to coat with the batter evenly.
• Heat oil in a small wok or pan for deep frying; add the baby corn in batches and cook till the coating is cooked. Remove with a slotted spoon onto a paper towel lined plate.
• Once all the baby corn are fried once, return them to the hot oil and fry them again until golden on all sides. Frying them 2 times makes the pakora/ fritters crisp and crunchy.
• To make the Baby Corn Pepper Fry: Heat 2tbsp oil in a large saute pan; add the ginger and garlic and cook till golden and fragrant.
• Next add the chopped peppers and green chilies (if using). Cook on medium high flame until the peppers are crisp tender.
• Add tomato ketchup, soy sauce, green chili sauce, rice vinegar, salt and pepper. Mix well and add cook for 1~2 minutes.
• Finally just before serving, add the fried baby corn fritters and cook for 1~2 minutes for the flavors to mingle. Garnish with chopped scallions and serve immediately.

Lets check out what my fellow marathoners have cooked up today for BM# 47.